Helicycle Is A Flying Gyrocopter And Motorcycle Combo For Only $295000

You were all set to plunk down that spare cash on a Porsche 911 GT3 right in time for the holidays.  Then, Paul Walker‘s very unfortunate accident happened.  With family and all on mind, that has definitely made you rethink your priorities.  If you’re still itching to get something expensive and exotic for yourself, maybe wife will be more receptive to this Helicycle.

A combo three-wheeled motorcycle and gyrocopter, it’s a street-legal vehicle that can also take to the skies.  Yep, just like the flying cars of our childhood dreams.  Except maybe not as fast.  And not as high-flying.  Plus, there are no missiles, so it’s not exactly what you’ve always fantasized, but we bet it will still be amazing all the same.

The Helicycle is a two-seat vehicle that can be driven as a three-wheeled motorcycle or piloted as an ultra-light gyrocopter.   You can’t be driving down the highway one second and taking off the next, though, so don’t even think you can use it for supervillain capers (usable only for good, not evil).  Instead, it has a self-deploying propeller, rotor, and dual rudder setup that takes about 10 minutes to get in position.  Once it’s ready, however, you just ride it down a runway (only 540 feet of clearance needed for takeoff, 100 feet for landing) and take flight.  Although it resembles a chopper, the experience is supposed to be more similar to ultra-light planes, allowing you to cruise at low altitudes (up to 4,000 feet) at a range of up to 220 miles.

In road-driving mode, it can hit max speeds of 112 mph, clear a 0 to 60 in under eight seconds, and run for 750 miles on a full tank.   Construction is carbon fiber, titanium, and aluminum, with an empty weight of 1,499 pounds.  It requires a sports pilot certificate to fly.

Hammacher Schlemmer has the Helicycle available, priced at $295,000. There is a video of something similar in action on the site also.

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